Gai Yuki
|numberofepisodes = 51 (Jetman) 1 (Gokaiger) 2 (Akibaranger) 3 (Movies) |cast = Toshihide Wakamatsu |label = Black Condor |fullname = Gai Yuki |complex = |-|1991 = |-|2011 = |image2 = Black Condor.jpg }} was of the Jetmen and the second-in-command to Red Hawk (until Gai died in the finale). Biography Jetman Gai (born December 6, 1965) was a confrontational and obnoxious loner who hated being ordered around and adored fighting. Like the others, he was a member because he had received the power. He was not happy about it, but he did come through for the team every time. His combat skills match Ryu's, though he was the dirty type, as he sometimes grabbed his foe by the crotch to perform an overhead lift and toss. He initially clashed with Ryu, but that clash gave Ryu something solid to distract himself from the agony of Rie's death, while it gave Gai something to pretend he was there just to annoy and not because he wanted to be. Gai fell in love with Kaori. She appealed to him in part for her gentleness and class, for her spirit and bravery which he recognized, and also because unlike almost every woman he met, she would not be his for the taking. He flirted with her but with no results and he ended up suffering from the frustration of his unanswered feelings. Slowly, he began to put himself at risk to protect her, and it quickly became an addiction. One particular time he took a deadly shot from Empress Juuza, and soon found crystals bursting from his flesh. Eventually he believed he was dying, and fled from his fellow Jetmen. Kaori eventually found him. He was trying to be brave, but the agony got the better of him. Then when he thought he could feel himself changing, he swore his love to Kaori, then tried to flee beyond her sight. She had to watch him turn into a giant crystal. When Kaori managed to destroy Empress Juuza's source jewel, everyone it had turned to crystal returned to their human state, and Gai was able to come just in time to help his teammates completely defeat the Vyram. A second time he nearly died for her, and Kaori admitted to herself as well as him that she loved him as well. They became an item, but not for long. For all his obsession with her, and all the good qualities both had, they were very unsuited for each other. Gai broke up with Kaori when she tried to make him over as a businessman for meeting her parents, rather than him getting to be presented as himself. While he and Kaori were still together, Gai had learned about Ryu's fiancée, Rie, and had to watch a man he'd come to believe in fall to pieces. He finally accepted being depended on by his teammates, even though he resisted being what people forced him to be all his life. Eventually Gai met his rival Grey in a one-on-one challenge, and after a severe battle, a lucky shot saved him. Honoring his opponent's request for a last smoke, he lit the cigar Grey carried. Then he came just when he was needed, and together with his teammates defeated the last of the Vyram, Radiguet. Super Sentai World .]] Later, Gai, alongside his team, joined forces with the Fivemen, Zyurangers, Dairangers, and Kakurangers to defeat the evil Emperor Daidas and his forces. Gai's death in the epilogue of Jetman complicates matters. Although, this epilogue is three years after the final battle with Radiguet. It is possible that the events of this movie occur during the three-year interval, as ''Kakuranger began only two years after the finale of Jetman. If not, then he could have been resurrected like in Gokaiger. Death Three years later, Gai found out that Ryu and Kaori had fallen in love and were getting married. While buying flowers for his beloved friends' wedding, he stopped a mugger from taking a woman's purse. The mugger was humiliated and took out a switchblade, and stabbed Gai in the stomach; the mugger, mortified that he actually stabbed someone, ran away. Knowing he was going to die this time, Gai did not hide from his friends, but made it to their wedding too late for the ceremony. He made it to the reception and sat on a bench, where he greeted Ryu. Ryu saw how weak Gai was, but Gai lied that it was just a hangover. He thanked Ryu for everything and gave Kaori his blessings from a distance, as he was too weak to get up. Former teammate Ako took a picture of the two friends sitting on the bench before Ryu left to go take pictures with all the other guests. Gai smoked a bit of cigarette before finally succumbing to his wound and died on the bench. Kaori would later give birth to her and Ryu's first child, a baby son who they decided to name Gai in honor of their friend and comrade. In the epilogue manga Choujin Sentai Jetman: Toki wo Kakete, when the Jetmen were called to aid Earth again, Jeffrey Kensaki (Green Eagle) took Gai's place on the team. This, however, is considered non-canon as Kensaki never appeared outside of the manga to truly serve as Gai's replacement (as well as the fact that Ryu and Kaori had a daughter instead of a son). Fate Although he was only mentioned as "dead" in the Toki wo Kakete manga epilogue, his ultimate fate in the Jetman or Sentai universe was unknown. Toei TV Hero Encyclopedia, despite the appearance of Ryu and Kaori's baby son named in honor of Gai, chose to not refer to him as either still alive or deceased, and the manga epilogue may be an alternate timeline in the Jetman or Sentai storylines (an argument strengthened by Gai's replacement Jeffrey Kensaki not appearing in the Legend War). His appearance in Super Sentai World is questionable, although it has been suggested that Super Sentai World took place prior to Ryu and Kaori's wedding, since the wedding itself took place 3 years after the final battle and Kakuranger aired 3 years after Jetman. In episode 28 of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, a gravestone is shown with "YUKI GAI" engraved on it confirming Gai's death in the last episode's epilogue. Gai Ikari speculates that each of Gai's former teammates visit often, as his grave had items that can be traced back to them. Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai Black Condor is among the Sentai warriors seen in clips when Yuusuke Amamiya (Red Falcon) lectured Gaku Washio (GaoYellow) about the past Sentai sword experts, showing him that the true sword wasn't the sharpest, but the one that feeds on courage. Gokaiger Legend War Years later, Black Condor somehow appeared to fight alongside not only his own team, but every single Sentai ranger in existence, against the Empire of Zangyack when it attacked the Earth in the Great Legend War. After fighting against hundreds of Gormin and their Zgormin commanders. Akarenger noticed the fleet moving towards them, he gathered all the Rangers together and gave them the order to sacrifice their powers to wipe out the first invasion's armada. After the fighting ended, Gai returned to Heaven. The Black Condor powers are later used by Don Dogoier via the Ranger Keys. Eternal Wings Some time later, Gai wins a card game against a goddess and has her return him to Earth for one day, among others because the drinks in Heaven were horrible. He first appears before Don, Joe and Luka and offers Luka to come with him, before easily defeating Joe, taking his Mobilate and telling them to leave the Jetman team alone. Gai then confronts Marvelous, Ahim and Gai, fighting Marvelous and also taking his Mobilate and at the same proving that he is a ghost that only the Gokaigers, with the exception of Gai Ikari, can see. He later assists the Gokaigers in their battle with the Zangyack Bounty Hunter Kiaido and even transforms into Black Condor before giving back the Mobilates and giving the Greater Powers of Jetman to the group. In the end, Gai returns to his heaven which is similar to a bar he spent a lot of time in while he was alive. There he beats the goddess in a game of cards again and, upon her request, plays some music for her. Farewell Space Pirates After the Gokaigers defeat Ackdos Gill, Marvelous returned the Ranger Keys to their original owners. Since Gai could still transform in his deceased state, it is assumed its return was a symbolic measure as opposed to the actual return of his powers. Super Hero Taisen , Goggle V, Maskmen, and Fivemen, emerge through a dimensional wall.]] Gai, alongside his team, among the majority of the Super Sentai heroes, was caught up in the "Super Hero Taisen" incident which eventually resulted in the Super Sentai teams and Kamen Riders joining forces to defeat both Dai-Zangyack and Dai-Shocker. Super Hero Taisen Otsu to be added Zyuohger vs. Ninninger Black Condor appeared with his team among the first 38 Super Sentai whom collectively empowered Wild Tousai Shuriken King in its fight against the titanic Gillmarda, granting the Ninningers and Zyuohgers the power to perform the Zyuoh Ninnin Super Sentai Burst which destroyed Gillmarda with the combined power of all 40 Super Sentai. Akibaranger When Mitsuki Aoyagi asks Nobuo Akagi if a wannabe Sentai hero should be drinking. He tells her that among the official heroes is Black Condor, Gai Yuki, a "manly badass" who loves to go out drinking. As Nobuo spoke of Black Condor, the Chōjin Sentai Jetman theme's chorus briefly plays. Black Condor appears as part of the five-man Jetman team alongside the other two Inordinate Sentai, Dekaranger and Boukenger, in Season Two's alternate take on the events of the first season. The three official Sentai come to aid the Akibarangers in the final battle with the Blatantly Evil Marketing Firm B. The Jetmen later appeared with the now five official Sentai, transforming into their Ludicrous Power which combined with the others to form the Ludicrous Cannon Bazooka, which the Akibarangers used to destroy Kameari Alpaca. Video game appearances Jetman video game Black Condor appears with his team in the ''Chōjin Sentai Jetman'' video game. His weapon of choice is the Bringer Sword and he has 8 hit points, he shares this trait with Red Hawk. Super Sentai Battle: Dice-O *'Profile' :Gai Yuki/Black Condor: to be added Super Sentai Battle Base Black Condor is among the vast pantheon of Rangers which are available in the mobile game Super Sentai Battle Base. Super Sentai Legend Wars Black Condor appears with his team among all Sentai in the mobile game Super Sentai Legend Wars. Choujin Sentai Jetman in Super Sentai Legacy Wars.png|Jetman as seen in Super Sentai Legend Wars Powers and Abilities ;Card Proficiency : He is extremely good at playing card, easily getting a Royal Straight Flush to defeat even a goddess. ;Hand-to-hand Combat : He was able to barehandedly deal with a troop of Gormin even when untransformed. ;Ghost Physiology : As a soul, he has shown the following abilities: :;Jetman Transforming :: Like other deceased Sentai Rangers, he retains the ability to transform into Black Condor even when his ranger key is in possession of the Gokaiger. :;Invisibility :: For unexplained reasons, Gai Ikari is unable to see him, while the Gokaiger and the Zangyack can still see him normally. :;Corporealization :: He can steal the Mobilates and fight against the Zangyack even as a soul. :;Astral Projection :: He can appear and disappear at will. Black Condor Mecha *Jet Condor *Bird Garuda / Jet Garuda (shared with Red, Yellow, White, and Blue) Arsenal *Cross Changer *Corresponder *Jet Hand Cannon **Bird Blaster **Bringer Sword *Smash Bomber **Bird Blaster **Beak Smasher *Wing Gauntlet *Jet Speeder Special attacks *'Condor Finish' *'Flying Kick' *'Condor/Owl Towering Attack' (with Raita Ooishi) Ranger Key The is Gai Yuki's personal Ranger Key and what became of his powers after he along with the rest of the 34 Super Sentai sacrificed their powers to end the Great Legend War. This key along with the majority of the Ranger Keys were collected by the Red Pirates and later used by the Gokaigers. The Black Condor Ranger Key was mainly used by Don Dogoier (Gokai Green), who used it to fight as Black Condor. *When the Gokaigers became the Jetmen while fighting Action Commander Bowser and his Zangyack force in the sky. *When the Gokaigers became the Jetmen in their fight with the bounty hunter Kiaido. The Jetman keys, along with all the Ranger Keys of the first 33 Super Sentai, were briefly taken by the Black Cross King and turned into Ranger puppets that were fought by the Gokaigers and the Goseigers. Using their power of flight to disorient the two Sentai in the initial skirmish, they later split up, with the puppet Black Condor being defeated as part of a group of surviving Black and Green warrior keys by Gokai Red and Super Gosei Red. During Gai's encounter with the Gokaigers it was shown that somehow, presumably due to his deceased state, Gai could transform (using his Cross Changer) into Black Condor even as Don held his Ranger Key. After Zangyack were finally defeated, the Gokaigers gave the Ranger Keys back to their rightful owners. It is presumed that Gai received his key despite being in the afterlife. Behind the scenes Portrayal Gai Yuki is portrayed by . As Black Condor, his suit actor was . Notes *His interests included motorcycles, saxophone, gambling and womanizing. *He loved the Scotch whiskey Macallan. *He hated men and natto (fermented soybeans), and still does. *Gai's fighting style is a street fighting and martial arts mix. *Gai is the last member of a core team to have died and the only one who had not been replaced (in actual continuity, not counting the manga). *Reportedly, two of the head writers of Gokaiger nearly came to blows over Gai in the Great Legend War - one of them, an original writer for Jetman, didn't want him to return, but the other was insistent that he did. What happened is a morbid compromise. *During the 11th episode, when every of the Jetman got their personality flaws overriding their current one, Gai becomes a more typical fighter of justice who values teamwork, in other words a straightforward good guy. While after being cured, Gai dismissed it as a 'sissy' form of him, it does serve as a foreshadowing that Gai was more than just a self-centered, womanizing jerk he was portrayed as thus far. *Like three previous cameos, Gai kept his powers even deceased; the fact that he and the others were dead may explain how he and the others were able to fight in the Legend War and then keep their powers after the sacrifice. *He is the first Sentai Ranger to have a Condor motif, followed by Sosuke Esumi. *Gai remains the only Sentai Ranger to be killed by a civilian, instead of a villain. *In the Philippine Dub of the series, Gai is voiced by Allan Ortega who previously voiced Billion in Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman. *In the Philippine Dub, his sentai form as Black Condor was renamed as JetBlack (named after a character from Cowboy Bebop) while transforming using the Cross Changer. *Black Condor shares his name with several DC comic superheroes of the same name. *Gai Yuki is based in both certain personality traits and in his bird motif on Joe Asakura aka Joe the Condor from Gatchaman. **Much like his Gatchaman counterpart, Gai died at the end of his series. *After his role in the sentai series, Toshihide Wakamatsu who portrays Gai Yuki is revealed as one of the two guest sentai actors alongside Ei Hamura who portrays Shoji of the Heavenly Star from Gosei Sentai Dairanger to join up with the returning guest host, Ryousuke Kaizu from Hikari Sentai Maskman, Kenta Satou from Kousoku Sentai Turborangers, Michiko Makino from Choudenshi Bioman and Kei Shindachiya from Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman in Toku Spirits 2017. **He is also the representative of Choujin Sentai Jetman. *Gai is the only Jetman to be shown from the front in the first episode but not transform - prior to being struck by Birdonic Waves, he's the man who is shown drinking a cup of coffee that Radiguet's image appears in when it is broadcasted. Appearances **''Toei TV Hero Encyclopedia Vol. 2: Choujin Sentai Jetman'' * Super Sentai World * Mirai Sentai Timeranger Super Sentai Big Gathering * Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai * GoGo Sentai Boukenger vs. Super Sentai * Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger **''Ep. 1: The Space Pirates Appear'' ** Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle **''Ep. 28: Wings are Eternal'' **''Ep. 45: The Confused Ninja'' * Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen * Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger **''Ep. 29: The Monarch of the Monarchs'' ** Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger vs. Ninninger: Message from the Future from Super Sentai }} References External links *Black Condor at the [http://www.dice-o.com/ Super Sentai Battle: Dice-O official website] *Black Condor at the Dice-O Wiki Category:Sentai Ranger Category:Sentai Black Category:Choujin Sentai Jetman Category:Sentai second-in-command Category:Ranger Legend Category:Jetmen Category:Sentai Anti-Heroes Category:Imaginary Legend Category:Sentai Rangers with Superpowers Category:Deceased Sentai Rangers Category:Resurrected Sentai Rangers Category:Sentai Male Rangers Category:Sentai Sword-users Category:Sentai Rangers without successors Category:Sentai 2 Category:Sentai Animal-themed Rangers Category:Sentai Bird-themed Rangers Category:Skyforce Category:Sentai Rangers not in Super Sentai Strongest Battle